Alumni Awards

2026 Alumni Award Recipients

Each year, Cedarville University honors alumni who are impacting their world for Jesus Christ in the following categories: Alumnus of the Year, Young Alumnus of the Year, and the Distinguished Service Award. There are additional awards that are given at various times when appropriate. The recipients are honored in chapel, at an awards ceremony, and often times are asked to speak to our student body. This past year's recipients are featured below.

Jim Houser has been selected as the Alumnus of the Year.

Cedarville University is honored to recognize Jim Houser ’91 as the 2026 Alumnus of the Year, celebrating his faithful investment in the Christian music industry and long-lasting connection with the Cedarville community.

An active member of the student body during his time as a broadcasting student, Jim was involved with the student radio station, SGA, Residence Life, and missions. His time at Cedarville changed his faith’s trajectory and launched friendships with fellow alumni that last to this day.

As a graduate, Jim has spent his career building skills in media production and artist development at Focus on the Family, Sparrow Records, and Creative Trust. In his most recent role as Chief Radio Officer at K-LOVE and Air1 Radio, Jim’s work reached audiences of more than 18 million people weekly. Now, he is bringing his decades of experience in the Christian music industry to bear on his own business, Housemix Partners, where he helps media organizations, authors, recording artists, and nonprofits with media consulting services.

Jim’s integrity carries over from his professional to personal life. He is a faithful member and servant at his local church outside of Nashville, Tennessee, where he lives with his wife, Sarah. He is a godly father to three children. He regularly reconnects with his Cedarville friends for accountability and encouragement. For his long-lasting contributions to Christian music and media and his dedication to the Cedarville community, Cedarville University is proud to recognize Jim Houser as 2026’s Alumnus of the Year.

Peter Grinalds has been selected as the Young Alumnus of the Year.

Cedarville University honors Peter Grinalds as the 2026 Young Alumnus of the Year. A 2021 graduate in electrical engineering, Peter spent his time on campus in the honors program, starting his first business with his classmates, and refining his skills in the Engineering Project Lab.

After graduating, Peter joined Procter & Gamble as an engineering manager and worked his way up to a senior engineering manager role. During his time there, he also founded and ran multiple other businesses across the engineering, product design, and consumer electronics industries. With his success in business ownership growing, Peter took a step back to run Grinalds Solutions, an engineering company that provides complete product design services to a variety of clients.

Since his graduation, Peter has been an outspoken advocate for Cedarville students. During his time at Procter & Gamble and at his own companies, Peter had regularly returned to campus as a guest lecturer in classes and an employer at Cedarville’s career fairs, offering current students hands-on experience and hiring many of them post-graduation. He is an involved church member and godly husband and father to his wife, Emily (Mattocks) Grinalds ’21, and one-year-old daughter, Norwood.

For his innovative entrepreneurial work and commitment to uplifting and encouraging Cedarville students, Cedarville University is pleased to call Peter Grinalds this year’s Young Alumnus of the Year.

Jeff Reep has been selected to receive the Distinguished Service Award.

Cedarville is pleased to honor Jeff Reep ’78 with the 2026 Distinguished Service Award for his more than three decades of serving Cedarville students.

Jeff’s contributions to the Cedarville community began during his time as a student in the physical education program and on the men’s basketball team, where he was named an Athlete of Honor. After graduating, Jeff earned his MEd and started his 22 years of Division I and Division II college basketball coaching.

It was this career that brought Jeff back to Cedarville as the Head Basketball Coach. He served in Athletics for five years before transitioning into Career Services, following his passion for coaching students to reach their potential and honor Christ in their professional pursuits.

During his 20+ years of serving on the Career Services team, most recently as Director, Jeff has tirelessly developed himself and his team, networked with thousands of employers, and faithfully met with countless students to help them find their career paths. Alongside this work, he has served as an adjunct professor and a Fit to be Tied marriage mentor with his wife. It is no wonder Jeff was recognized as Cedarville’s Staff Member of the Year (2008) and SOCHE’s Campus Impact Award recipient (2025–26)! He has shared his expertise and heart for students at countless homeschool events, conferences, and media interviews, representing Cedarville well on the public stage.

Jeff's integrity extends from his professional to his personal life through his faithfulness as a husband to Criss (Wilson) Reep '82 and father to five sons, three of whom graduated from Cedarville as well.

As Jeff steps back from his full-time role, Cedarville is honored to recognize the legacy he has left in thousands of students’ success stories with the Distinguished Service Award.